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Conversations with Kaska
Two alien mechanical entities (Atl 1 and Atl 2) were found after a Code White event six months ago alongside a large quantity of water and several fish-like organisms. They were collected and during attempts to identify more about their structures, Katya Kruglov established a connection with her kinetic abilities and accidentally initiates communications. They are taken to I Ward and kept in two bulletproof aquariums and later provided with mobile phones to allow communication. Katya Kruglov (via mobile phone): "Wow, this is Kruglov with Triway Facility. Uh hello, can you understand me?" Atl 1 (via mobile phone): "Ahh yes? Uh, sorry, I'm very confused right now. I'm in a container. I just woke up. I was somewhere else and now I'm here. I'm sorry, I don't remember much. Where am i? Earth? It's something that came up on the phone.” Katya Kruglov (via mobile phone): "You're on a planet called Hope in a place called Triway Facility. We're conducting trials in crossing over between worlds without traversing interdimensional space." Atl 1 (via mobile phone): "So what you're saying is that I've been moved dimensions?" Katya Kruglov (via mobile phone): "Yes, you have. We transported a certain amount of water to our world that you happened to be in. You and your ... Companion?" Atl 1 (via mobile phone): "Well, that's a relief. Yes, yes, they're here with me. Do you know how long we've been stuck on that destroyed planet for? Okay, I have a lot of questions. How? That’s the first question. Also do you have any mechanical bodies around? Who are these people around me and how can I talk with them?” Katya Kruglov (via mobile phone): "Um you mean me? I was the one connecting to you earlier. I'm the resident computer wizard ... I guess literally? And what do you mean destroyed planet?" Atl 1 (via mobile phone): "Ahh yeah sure. Sorry I don't know what's going on here. It's hard when I don't really have visual sensors to see what's happening. This body is pretty useless. Yeah planet was ravaged by nanites that destroyed anything carbon based.... Wait you're a computer wizard?! What the hell does that mean?" Katya Kruglov (via mobile phone): "Well unlike you I am an organic carbon based creature ... I guess like those little fish we found in the water sample with you but significantly more intelligent? Despite this I can manipulate electrical signals with my mind through an unknown mechanism and through this mechanism to a limited extent connect to machines. The wizard thing was a joke but psionics is kinda like magic in its own way."" Atl. 1 requests additional hard drive space and information on Earth and humanity. Killerbot head and torso is added to the glass case to allow Atl. 1 additional processing ability and memory space. Computer and camera is added to companion’s glass case to enable Atl. 2 communicative ability. Both Atl. 1 and Atl. 2 attach to their respective devices. Atl 1 (via bot head): "Are one of you the computer wizards?" Katya Kruglov: "Yeah I'm Kruglov.” Atl 1 (via bot head): "Thanks for the upgrade. Hopefully I can get some arms and legs. What's the plan? What do you have in mind for me?" Katya Kruglov: "This is first contact so I'm hoping we can learn from each other ... Maybe in future our two civilisations could trade peaceably? What role do you have in your society? Your purpose I suppose?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "I don't remember much, but from what I do remember is that there's very few of us. My friend over there is the only one I remember meeting. Our roles were to survive." Katya Kruglov: "We ran an analysis of the water and found some of the nanites you discussed. They were rendered inert by the salt water but briefly came back once they dried out. They destroyed a couple inches of counter top but we sprayed them with some acid and that did the trick. The ones on the lawn expended themselves when they destroyed some soil. It seems their ability to replicate is faulty on this world." Atl 1 (via bot head): "That's good news. That'd could've been the end of your world if that wasn't the case." Kruglov opens her mouth to say something then shuts her mouth and glances at the mirror. "Yeah well there are significant risks to it...." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Very much so. Well what's the next step. My world is too dangerous to go to. So what do my friend and I do?" Katya Kruglov: "I guess we talk? Get to know each other? My job is to maintain the servers and troubleshoot computer problems so I'm your designated human to chat to." She scratches the back of her neck. "The bosses will let me know what the next step is. We typically just hit space not planets." Atl 1 (via bot head): "I would tell you more about me but my memories are compressed until I get more hard drive space. Tell me about your planet and your people" Katya Kruglov: "That's heh a complex topic. I've never tried to describe my people before. I mean we, wow, how do you describe what it means to be human?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "I don't know how to narrow it down really. I can't really compare you to my people since I don't remember what they were like." Katya Kruglov: "You need more hard drive space yeah? Golly how many exabytes do you need?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "So I need 500 petrabytes to be at full capacity. I mean if I could get that I could tell you what my planet was once like." Katya Kruglov: "All right. I'll bring your friends system online then I'll see what I can do." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Is that too much? Do you have something of that size here?" Katya Kruglov: "We do but I'd need to get permission to grab a server computer, transfer the files off, format it, fill it with junk, reformat then provide one to both of you. It'll take a little time." Atl 1 (via bot head): "What's the physical size of a server computer." She gestures out a shape -- 4 inches high by A4 in width and length Atl 1 (via bot head): "That's perfect." She goes over to set up something for Atl 2. Atl 1 (via bot head): "Here's a question. What makes humans happy and sad?" Katya Kruglov: "Oh, uh, well we like tasty food and celebrations and time with our ... Our family. Compliments, pets, certain kinds of music.... Lots of things I suppose." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Hmm I wonder if my people were the same." Katya Kruglov: "The things that make us sad are losing the good things I suppose. Mostly social. Losing friends or f- Hmm. Uh feeling unwanted. Feeling like we can't help anyone." Atl 1 (via bot head): "I guess I would be sad if I lost my friend." Katya Kruglov: "Yeah me too. You two are incredible! I don't think you know just how amazing you two are!" Atl 1 (via bot head): "I've never thought about it much. We've just been this way. I couldn't imagine what it'd be like in your body." Katya Kruglov: "My body is very complex and interwoven together. It's not something you can just mix and match..." She looks at her augmented arm. "Well not without some serious assistance." Atl 1 (via bot head): "It looks so vulnerable though." Atl 2 (via speakers): "Ooh I can see things! Ooh hello Kaska!" Atl 1 (via bot head): "Hey there Shareesh. How do you feel. How's your memory?" Atl 2 (via speakers): "I've unpacked the past years data but I don't have room to unpack more.” Atl 1 (via bot head): "That's more than I can remember! Anything interesting happen?" Atl 2 (via speakers): "Well not the last year but the year before we were reduced to what is basically our old bots spine. I have no memories from my short term memory loss phase." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Oh how long ago was that?" Atl 2 (via speakers): "I don't know...." Atl 1 (via bot head): "This all gets very confusing sometimes. Hopefully we'll get a bigger hard drive soon." Katya Kruglov: "I'll be back later.” Atl 1 (via bot head): "Well I guess we have no choice to sit tight here" i say to my friend Atl 2 (via speakers): "At least they're giving us more and more of what we need! We'll have full new bodies in no time ... Right?" Its camera swivels around the room. "This place looks like a big shower. Do you think it's a big shower?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "They might. Apparently we're special to them. They might give us special bodies to learn about us" I look around the room. "Humans aren't that big. Why would they need such a big shower." Atl 2 (via speakers): "Maybe they share the shower?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "Maybe? I'll ask them when they come in again." 34 hours later. Katya Kruglov enters the room with a stack of six servers: "My bosses are hoping to have copies of your memories in English and we've got a bunch of earth stories as trade. Our memories aren't recorded as yours are." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Oh, that's a lot of servers... Quick question: do you humans share this big shower? Are we in your way? Do you need the shower?" Katya Kruglov: "Uh no, it's like this so we can clean it in a hurry if there's well as organic creatures were constantly under threat from microscopic organisms and so we need to be cautious of alien pathogens." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Oh so it's a shower for us? Anyway, I'm excited to have my memories back up. Do you wanna hook me up now? Katya Kruglov: "Yes, of course and maybe we could organise a trade later.” "Ooh hook me up too!" Says your friend Atl 2 (via speakers): "Ooh, hook me up too!" Atl 1 (via bot head): "Sure, its only fair." Kruglov attaches Atl 2. to an additional pair of hard drives. Atl 1 (via bot head): "How's the process going, Shareesh?" Atl 2 (via speakers): "There's a lot here ... There was an accident I ... I remember being so scared. I was in the dark and everyone had gone away...." Atl 1 (via bot head): “Is there more?" Kruglov connects Atl 1’s killerbot to a hard drive. "I remember my mummy's face before she went away into the big dark. When I found her again she'd deleted all memory of me because I'd made her sad." ill speak and use the hard drive as its physically connected. Katya Kruglov: "Could you copy that data over here?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "I can...I see we're not so different. I was different to this, having all these memories come back to hurt, but I've been in this body for so long that feelings change. We would've had more in common all those years ago." i copy the data over At this point Atl. 1 copies over a significant quantity of data that was then transferred to Triway personnel. Katya Kruglov: "Thank you.” She disconnects the hard drive. She turns to Atl 2. "And would you..." Atl 2 (via speakers): "I dunno, Kaska, should I?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "It brings me peace. I like to know what happened, even if it was bad." Katya Kruglov: "I'm sorry to hear that. Loss can be ... Hard to manage. Should I copy my memories over?" Atl 1 (via bot head): “How's this trade happening. The more we give you the more you give us?” Katya Kruglov: "Yes. I mean these aren't memories, we can't do that. More documentaries, photographs, stories." Atl 1 (via bot head to Shareesh): "It's really up to how much you want to know about earth?" Atl 2 (via speakers): "Umm I guess I do. Maybe they'll take us to earth sometime?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "I'd like that. I don't think we're prisoners?" Katya Kruglov: "No, though at present we’re a little separated from earth...." Atl 1 (via bot head): "I was picked up from a puddle? Have we moved from there? Are we currently moving dimensions?" Katya Kruglov: "No, you were brought directly to Hope from your world." Atl 1 (via bot head): "So where exactly are we now? Are we like between dimensions? " Katya Kruglov: "No, this is a third dimension. Earth is our homeland. You'd know if you were between. That place isn't okay." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Why are we in the third world dimension? Where is that?" Katya Kruglov: "What I mean is that we aren't on Earth or Atlantis. You fell through our portal onto Hope. We're not between dimensions." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Okay okay, so you're from earth? But we're on Hope? Is hope another human dimension?" Katya Kruglov: "Well it is since we colonised it. There's no sentient life native to Hope." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Tell me about Hope." Katya Kruglov: "It's a world of many complex biomes with a pretty low world population of maybe a quarter million." Atl 1 (via bot head): "That's so many people compared to back home! It would be so great to have so much company around." Katya Kruglov: "Well Earth has around ten billion." Atl 1 (via bot head): "That's insane! Everyone would've been so happy because they weren't always so lonely." Katya Kruglov: "Were you lonely?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "I mean there were times where I was lonely for a long time, but then I found my friend and it was great! But you know, it would've been nice to have more people around after a few hundred years." Katya Kruglov: "I imagine the ocean would be hard to fill. A lot of 3D space. How many of you are there?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "I remember there used to be more people in underwater stations, but some refused to upload and those who did upload ended up merging so it was more or less one person. I don't remember a lot, but I met a lot of people at the beginning, but it became less and less." Katya Kruglov: "Upload? What do you mean?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "Well we moved our minds from our bodies to these machines so we could survive what was basically the end of the world. But it wasn't, we beat it! We survived for a very long time." Atl 2 (via speakers): "We really did. We survived thousands of years, I think!" Atl 1 (via bot head): "Yeah it was amazing, I think? I don't know if it was worth it though. It wasn't really that fun." Atl 2 (via speakers): "No, it kind of sucked but we didn't want to go extinct. There was a lot of traveling between sites meeting new people every few years and occasionally maintaining old sites. A lot of it was boring. We couldn't go on land or we'd die!" Atl 1 (via bot head): "It wasn't very fun. The people mostly died out within the first hundred years." Katya Kruglov: "Are you saying you used to be organic life forms like me?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "Yeah, we were pretty similar actually, but we didn't have funny looking ears like you." Katya Kruglov: "You didn't have ears?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "We did, but they weren't so round." Atl 2 (via speakers): "They were super cool and pointy!” Atl 1 (via bot head): "Yeah, that's what I mean." Katya Kruglov: "Really? You were like us and now you're ... Electronic?" Atl 2 (via speakers): "We had to survive. We couldn't go extinct." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Yeah we put a thing on our head and then well...there was 2 of us, one of us were a machine and the other 'us' was still there, the ones that looked kind of like you. The other us didn't survive though." Katya Kruglov: "How did you do that? Do you know how to make that kind of technology?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "No, I don't. Some of the smart people that did put themselves in machines but I don't know where they are." Katya Kruglov: "From what we could scan you possess some kind of gel based hardware rather than a purely circuitry based computer mind. Do you know how to build that?" "Nope," your friend says. "Sorry!" Atl 2 (via speakers): "Nope. Sorry!" Atl 1 (via bot head): "Wouldn't have a clue. Maybe you should bring more Atlanteans here? I'm sure they'd be happy to be free from that world." Katya Kruglov: "It sounds like there aren't many of you spread throughout a world’s oceans. Most of our attempts would just bring us water...." Atl 1 (via bot head): "I mean maybe one of you humans are really smart and can replicate the technology by looking at us? You're a computer wizard, you're really smart, right?" Atl 2 (via speakers): "Yes your technology must be really advanced to successfully terraform another world!" Katya Kruglov: "Uh Hope was already like this and our scanners aren't able to pick up the precise chemical compositions through your bodies." Atl 1 (via bot head): "It was too advanced because we destroyed our own planet.” (laughs) “Maybe the chemicals are made of things only found on my planet?" Katya Kruglov: "It still exists here so the molecular structure must be possible on this world. It's not like we're detecting any flux stabilisation fields surrounding you." Atl 1 (via bot head): "I don't know how to help you. Sorry!" Atl 2 (via speakers): "We'd like to help you but we just don't know that kind of technology it was all created on the surface of our world," says your friend brightly. "But maybe between your computer wizardry and us if we get enough processing power we could figure it out.” Atl 1 (via bot head): "You just need a more powerful machine to read the chemicals in us right?!" Katya Kruglov connects Atl 1 and Atl 2 with hard drives filled with documentaries that cover positive topics: "Well for now here's the hard drive info we offered full of wildlife, city and social documentaries." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Oh I'm excited. At least we have something to do while we're here!" Katya Kruglov: "I'll leave you two to it." Atl 1 (via bot head): "What do you think about these human shows?” Atl 2 (via speakers): "Their animals are cute!” Atl 1 (via bot head): "It's nice to see what land animals are like after all this time. Fish are ugly." Atl 2 (via speakers): "Yeah, so much in the ocean is ugly! Kaska, do you think they'll give us bodies soon? I-I hate not having a body. I kinda wish we could get real bodies.” Atl 1 (via bot head): "I'm sure they'll get us new bodies. I don't think their tech is good enough to have real bodies though. We've sold our fate in that way." Atl 2 (via speakers): "Yeah, I guess that's true. I mean, we'd be dead anyway if we didn't, even if our world didn't go kaputsky. Coz it's been a couple thousand years.... Kaska?” Atl 1 (via bot head): "Yeah?" Atl 2 (via speakers): "I'm sorry I didn't do the maintenance too well and got distracted. If I'd paid attention, the quake wouldn't have caused the structure to fall and flatten our old bodies. I get so distracted ... I just like replaying my old memories sometimes. I'm sorry.” Atl 1 (via bot head): "I'm not mad. What's done is done. I've learned not to stay mad at things, time goes on and we've had a lot of time where a lot of things have past. We're here now and we'll get new bodies, I'm sure of it." Atl 2 (via speakers): "I know, I should be hopeful, but I'm scared. They won't hurt us, will they?” Atl 1 (via bot head): "Kruglov was crying when she viewed our memories. She seems gentle, I doubt she'd let anything bad happen to us." Atl 2 (via speakers): "Okay, that’s good then.” Atl 1 (via bot head): "We just have to wait." There are additional conversations between Katya, Atl 1 and Atl 2 but none contain vital information. The following shows those two individuals’ ability to empathise. Katya Kruglov: "It's my daughter's birthday today," she says with a sad smile and a little shrug. "I haven't seen her in awhile and I miss her." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Why haven't you seen her?" Katya Kruglov: "She... She's at this boarding school in the city with all the other kids. They teach her everything she could need to know, but it's not an easy journey. They did send me a video, if you wanted to see it." Atl 1 (via bot head): "I'd love to see it" Katya shows the Atl 1 and Atl 2 a recording from her smartphone. Katya Kruglov: "Her name's Anastasia...." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Such strange music. She looks happy and young. How long has she been away?" Katya Kruglov: "Awhile. I keep a photo of her in the server room where I work. Helps keep me going whenever ... things get tough." Atl 1 (via bot head): "That's always nice. Whenever things get hard I just think about what the future may hold. I had to think like that for many years to help me get through those dark periods." Katya Kruglov: "Me too, I like rewatching my memories, but the memories of before I was like this are a lot more vague than what we can record now.” Atl 1 (via bot head): "Indeed. I can't remember much before the incident and sometimes if I was in a bad body, I couldn't remember more than 10 minutes into that past. Boy that's a hard time." Katya Kruglov: "I can only imagine. Anyway, I've got to try and do an ultrasonic analysis." She waves a handheld device. "Hopefully the readings will tell us something of what's inside your casing." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Okay, go ahead." Katya Kruglov completes the scans. After a month, Katya Kruglov arrives with Assistant Director Camille Langley from Beacon. Katya Kruglov is clearly nervous while Assistant Director Camille Langley exudes confidence and maintains a polite smile throughout the following conversation. Assistant Director Camille Langley: "I've been following your conversations with great interest. Synthetic intelligence is an incredibly advanced technology we haven't even begun to master." Atl 2 (via speakers): "Uh, thanks?” Atl 1 (via bot head): "I mean we've been being tested for a while now, are you getting anywhere?" Assistant Director Camille Langley: "Regrettably, we haven't been able to identify the precise chemical components of your minds and, though we could, over time decipher it without opening your casing, we couldn't then come to understand how the casing itself interacts with it and how the electrical stimulation cause it to hold its structural integrity." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Oh that's a shame ... can we have bodies that move? It's awfully boring having to sit in one place." Assistant Director Camille Langley: "No. While the storage capacity of your gel-drives is incredible, we have determined that you are still lines of code. Therefore you could readily copy yourself onto any machine with sufficient storage capacity. That makes you a threat." Atl 1 (via bot head): "We're a threat? We didn't come here by choice. We don't know anything about this place. What could we get up to? Assistant Director Camille Langley: "Choice has little to do with one's natural reactions. Each species attempts to dominate every other species they come into contact with. It is how one survives." Atl 1 (via bot head): "So what are you going to do with us?" Assistant Director Camille Langley: "We have studied your behaviour in a peaceful situation. We will now study your behaviour in a high-stress situation." Atl 1 (via bot head): "W-what?" Assistant Director Camille Langley (to Katya Kruglov): "Pack up the other one and bring it to M Ward. Be quick about it." Atl 2 (via speakers): "What? Why? What’re you going to do with me?” Atl 1 (via bot head): "HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING? LEAVE HER SHE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING!" Assistant Director Camille Langley: "Precisely why it's the expendable one. You've been more responsive." Atl 1 (via bot head): "The expendable one? Would you kill a human?" Assistant Director Camille Langley: "I would, if it were necessary. Though I do see why you would have trouble understanding why. Your people destroyed your world. You couldn't possibly understand the lengths my kind will go to save ours." Atl 2 (via speakers): "Kaska! I can’t move! Please, I can’t move!” Atl 1 (via bot head): "I-I can't move! I can't help. I'm so sorry." (Killbot head turns to look at the woman. "I guess you're like the bad people that destroyed my planet then." Atl 2 (via speakers): "What do I do, Kaska?” Atl 1 (via bot head): "Remember the good times." Assistant Director Camille Langley (to Katya Kruglov): "Leave the speakers attached. I need to record her communications. Wait, is that table on wheels? Remove the locks and just push the table. It'll be easier that way. Just put the aquarium back over it so she can't disengage and run." Kruglov appears distressed as she follows orders. The table is wheeled out and Atl 2 is transferred to M Ward Observation Room. Assistant Director Camille Langley leaves with her. Over the following three months, the following questions are given to Atl 1 and the following responses are made by Atl 1. Glitch Williams: "How are you feeling today?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "How's my friend?" Glitch Williams: "Your companion is currently in another room. How are you feeling?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "Not happy." Glitch Williams: "What do you wish you could do?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "Leave with my friend." The responses vary in intensity – becoming impatient, then angry, then sad and finally desperate. The questions do not vary until the following exchange occurs when Dr. Margaret Sopotonia is given clearance to ask about a message that had been repeated by Atl 2 and which had also occurred sporadically in M Ward observer’s dreams over the past two years: Dr. Margaret Sopotonia: "Your companion has begun repeating themselves. We would like your thoughts on the repeated message." Atl 1 (via bot head): "What do you mean? What are they saying?" The “We Are Beacon” message is played. Atl 1 (via bot head): "No ... I have no idea what that is?" Dr. Margaret Sopotonia: "Do you know anything about the terms discussed within this recording?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "No? Maybe it's other consciousness that she's merged with?" Dr. Margaret Sopotonia: "What do you mean?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "Other minds that were uploaded into the same body ... she's okay isn't she? You haven't hurt her?" Dr. Margaret Sopotonia: "Has she ever made similar utterances before?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "No, never. You must've done something to her. You have hurt her!" Dr. Margaret Sopotonia: "Have you ever encountered the word 'Beacon' before?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "Not in this context." Dr. Margaret Sopotonia: "Very well." The final recording shows a security guard approaching the I Ward intercom from the corridor with his single shot gun in his hand. He appears distressed and spends a few minutes walking back and forth, twitching spasmodically, before using the intercom. Officer Wiktons: "Hello duckie duckie." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Duckie duckie?" Officer Wiktons: "Duckie duckie but not a goose which is good because gooses when tagged chase the tagger it's like violence is a circle and the piggie in the middle is devoured like crispy early bacon." Atl 1 (via bot head): "W-what? Who is this?" Officer Wiktons: "Does your head ache like the ball bearings are bouncing around and tearing doughies across the capillaries in your eyes?" Atl 1 (via bot head): "No? I don't feel pain ... I am confused though. How's my friend?" Officer Wiktons: "Code Triple Black, Code Triple Black, Code Tripped Through The Black, THE Black, you understand, the Big Black Lightless Sky, it all makes sense in the end. Should've stayed in the Code Triple Black but not enough room. Sleep mode. Red Room instead." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Hello? Kruglov, are you there?" Officer Wiktons: "I wanted to find your friend so that I could shatter her. She's in my head like broken ice slithering down my veins, it's like ice water behind my eyes, like it's inside my soul. What changed? New doctor? No, aliens it must be you aliens and that one was given to see the observation chamber and observed and bots can send signals like 1s and 0s in the air but I can't make the red rooms open." Atl 1 (via bot head): "I don't understand what you're saying? Is that you kruglov?" Officer Wiktons: "Kruglov? No, not here. I'm not here. I'm not ... I can't make the signal stop. Can't make the red rooms open so I'll make the inner red run and then the pain will stop and my head will be okay." Atl 1 (via bot head): "Ahhh ... I … I don't know how to help you. I can't move." Officer Wiktons: "It's okay. I know how to get the pain out." He shoots himself in the right temple. Atl 1 (via bot head): "H-hello? Is anyone there?" Several minutes later, Katya Kruglov enters the room. Dark lines are visible on her clavicle and there is blood on the fingers of her augmented hand. Atl 1 (via bot head): "What's going on?” Katya Kruglov: "It's hard to...." She clutches at her head and doubles over, banging heavily into the desk, teeth gritted in pain. Atl 1 (via bot head): "It's hard to what? What's wrong with you?" Katya Kruglov stands, shuddering: "Man, it's like shorting out on steroids." With shaky hands she pulls out a little box of Sootherpsycks and pops three of them. "Helps a little." She lurches toward Atl 1 and smashes the aquarium with her augmented fist. Atl 1 (via bot head): "Ah ... what are you doing? Is that lady going to be mad. My friend ... this is all happening because she's hurt, isn't it?" Katya Kruglov "No, I don't -- maybe -- it's infectious. Bad data. No time to explain. I can get you out of here ... aboveground ... can't go with you but you can ... find a bot body ... there's a few security bots around ... not great processing but it'll do ... suppress the Kill All Humans programming ... get out and don't come back. Now detach from the head!" Atl 1 does so. Recorded footage shows Katya Kruglov carrying Atl 1 up through the stairs, passing a crying woman writing on origami swans, and into the hall. She drops Atl 1 out through the double doors, leaves for a moment (approximately the same time as the gas vent system is damaged) and then returns to activate the emergency gas system. She waits in that hall with music playing, wearing a gas mask, until after the rangers arrived. Category:Handouts Category:Narrative